


Evolution

by LadyNightsong



Series: Sicut in Caelo et in Terra [3]
Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Deity Au, Gen, they learn!! and train!!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-09
Updated: 2017-10-09
Packaged: 2019-01-15 05:50:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,665
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12315006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyNightsong/pseuds/LadyNightsong
Summary: Now that they've got a goal in mind, the Elric brothers need to train both their minds and their bodies to be in a position to pursue it.That's where Izumi steps in.





	Evolution

**Author's Note:**

> this high-key deserves to be dedicated to my (plus :3) ultra amazing betas homunculus101 and midnighteevee because, God bless them, they inspired and helped me beyond imagination and helped me... evolve,, *wink wink* *finger guns*

Izumi, as she had chosen to be known to her half-human students, was one to be prepared. To this end, she had arrived early at their old house. Earlier, even, than the morning, so the distant horizon was still a misty lilac and the sun’s light just creeping over the mountains. Silently she moved through the empty Elric home, a silent ghost among white-covered memoirs of a once joyful past. As she took in the unused living room, the barren kitchen, the musty bedrooms… the realization of just how much these boys had lost was poignant and remained with her. Thinking back to how Roy had described them and their story, she thought she looked forward to meeting and teaching them. Uncertainty coiled in the pit of her stomach, but nonetheless, she had promised to herself to investigate whether they were worthy students and would see that much through. After discovering the one habitable room- the study upstairs, with notes spread out and books lying open- she decided to head back home. She had done what she came here for: she had wanted to figure out what kind of life they led. After seeing their old house and peering out the window at their neighbor’s home down the road, she returned to her husband and home in the city above.

 

* * *

 

When the Elrics first met her, hours later, they were at a loss. The woman who was to be their teacher was so no-nonsense and blunt that they were left reeling until they could catch up. In a whirlwind of preparation, they were bidding goodbye to those they were familiar with and making excuses to Granny to excuse their absence for a few days and packing bags and then were standing outside, at the back of their old house. Izumi turned around to face them.

“If you have any questions, speak now. To properly learn to fight and control your powers, you need to dedicatedly train your body. We’re going to be working on that.” She paused a second, looking down at them, and when neither Ed nor Al moved to speak she continued. “First, a week of training with me. We’ll see if you have the capacity to be good students. If I deem you ready, we can start the apprenticeship.” She concluded firmly, her voice brokering no disagreements, hands on her hips as if daring them to contradict her. Ed and Al nodded,  ready to try proving themselves to her, determination and fear shining through in their expressions. Izumi regarded them approvingly for a second, then only gave them a word of warning- “hold on!”- before launching into flight up to the deity’s city. A split second later, in a completely new environment, Ed and Al were frozen in shock for a second before jumping back, practically sputtering in confusion. Izumi took in their reactions and, realizing she really should have anticipated their inexperience, gave them her full attention to explain. 

“What was that?” Ed exclaimed, visibly resisting the urge to shiver. Looking around, he couldn't believe his eyes- it was a city street. ‘Did we go to Central?’ He briefly wondered, before realizing that this architecture was like nothing he had ever seen. On the surface it seemed almost ancient, but he could see modern influences everywhere, and the style felt timeless with its elegant curves and tall, graceful buildings. 

“It was flight. Deities, at 150 years old, are expected to undergo a series of trials. Success earns you a set of wings. Up here, most see no reason to hide them, unlike the deities you were working with.” Izumi unfurled her wings, expansive and tawny like an owl’s, and gestured to them. The boys gawked in disbelief, and in a few seconds, the wings were gone and Izumi was glancing down at them cooly. “It isn’t polite to stare.” She pointedly informed them. They flushed, apologizing. Al thought detachedly that he just might faint.

 

* * *

 

Ed and Al had never left Resembool before. All they knew was a sleepy country town in the southeast with three main streets and an annual sheep festival. 

The city that housed all the deities and guardians foiled that in every way they could comprehend. From its architecture (simultaneously ancient and timeless) to the size (bigger, even, than how they’d imagined Central) to the people (wearing dresses, outfits, and wraps the likes of which they’d never imagined before and accommodating actual wings) they were in the midst of the worst culture shock of their lives. 

Izumi didn’t blink an eye, of course. But the boys were terrified as they walked down the street.  She set a hand on each of their shoulders before they flew again, Ed shuddering at the feeling, and were standing in front of a modest house. 

“Is this your place?” Al asked hesitantly. From what he could see of the sprawling area, it looked like there were houses of all kinds, spaced out perfectly to give privacy but still be together. At Izumi’s nod, Al looked at her house in surprise. From what he could tell, it looked like every deity had a house of their own, and the sheer size still boggled his mind. Izumi strode forward, laying a hand on the door for a second before opening it and ushering them into the hallway. She lead them into a warm, earthen-colored living room, where yellow light cast by lamps illuminated a comfortably worn couch. A hulking man entered through an archway, and Ed felt a shiver of fear run up his spine, but Izumi just smiled warmly and crossed the room to be wrapped up in a bear hug by him. When they broke the embrace, Izumi turned to her new apprentices. 

“Boys, this is my husband, Sig.” Al let out a nervous squeak of a hello, while Ed didn’t manage much better- greeting him competently but very quickly. 

“Ah, you just be Ed and Al!” The man-  Sig- boomed. “Pleasure to meet you; Izumi called ahead.” Ed nodded dazedly. 

Al wondered if everything was going to be this intense- between their new teacher’s personality and her husband, this was seeing up to be quite an experience. 

They were led upstairs and shown to a spare room, declared theirs by Izumi while they trained with her. Al looked out the window over the darkening skyline. The area was lit up by the glow of lights from many homes, and in the distance, Al thought he could see a downtown.  

“We will begin tomorrow. Sig and I don’t need to sleep, but we’ll eat breakfast at eight.” Izumi informed them as she left, her voice not cold as they had expected. At nods form them, she bid them goodnight, and left the room. 

“This is all so different, brother.” He said quietly.

“Yep,” Ed replied, flopping across the bed and peering out the window through the room. “We’re in a whole new world.” Then he scoffed, looking up at the ceiling. “Literally.” Al, too, directed his gaze inward to regard the room they’d been given. “It seems so normal, doesn't it? It looks like just a house. Or just a city. It’s hard to believe that all those people are actually the gods.” 

“Yeah… it really is.” He was strangely quiet for a moment, his eyebrows drawn forward and eyes looking out, lost in his thoughts. “I didn’t think all the stories were real, after what happened.” Ed began, before halting. His brother waited expectantly, and Ed sighed before continuing. “I didn’t want to believe something to wreck our lives so much could be allowed to happen if they were right about the world being in balance and everything.” Al nodded, but didn’t pass judgement, merely looking out the window again, what was left of the sun’s light illuminating his face. 

“We can’t have all the answers to life, brother,” He finally replied. “Let’s just focus on our training. It looks like Ms. Izumi’s going to work us really hard.” Ed shivered, just a little, before agreeing with his brother and moving to get ready for bed. 

 The sun went down on their first night in the Pantheon, and tomorrow began their training. Both Ed and Al slept fitfully, unused to the beds and unused to the new city.

Their training began the next morning, right after breakfast. They ate, then were lead into a large martial arts room. Mirrors covered one of the walls and mats cushioned a section of the floor, and the boys gawked at the room. Izumi stepped forward and turned to face the two boys, sinking into a ready position, arms held defensively as she looked them squarely in the eyes. 

 “Try to land a hit on me,” she instructed. They leapt at her, and she easily deflected them, calling out instructions and critiques as she moved, pausing to let them breathe and reform their attack. 

 

Their training had begun. 

They quickly learned, through her concise advice and efficient use of the day, that Izumi was a thorough but difficult teacher. In the mornings, they would train their bodies: sparring and moving through forms, trying to emulate Izumi’s fluid grace and practiced economy of movement. She noted, with not a little pride, that they were growing stronger. Sparring for longer. The boys could tell this as well, and would go to lunch tired but determined. In the evenings, they would train their abilities. This involved a great deal more patience, explanation, and practice, but was nonetheless  the favorite part of the day for the brothers. Wednesday evening of their one-week trial found them sitting outside, basking in the quiet of the garden and focusing on introspection. Monday night, Izumi had sat them down in the living room, Sig at her side and her expression drawn up in a frown. 

“Since your ability to create matter was passed down to you by Hohenheim, he’s probably the only one who fully understands it.” She had explained. “My domain is physical strength. When it comes to your powers, all I can do is turn you in the right direction. I know it’s frustrating, but that’s the way it is.” They had nodded, accepting the situation out of necessity. This serene garden, which Izumi had shown them on their second day in the Pantheon, proved to be a calming place to meditate and focus on exploring their ability. 

 

Usually, at least. Ed sighed and flopped back onto the ground. 

“It’s no use,” he groaned. “We can only do it when we’re worked up!” Al sighed. 

 “We just have to focus! You heard Teacher describing the energy. And we’ve been so close!” He insisted, before groaning. “But it is really stupid hard.” Izumi nodded at them from her seated position on the ground. 

“Alphonse is right, on both counts. Sit up, Edward. Come on.” Ed did, a sour frown on his face. “With that temper, you should have no problem connecting to the current of emotion, since it’s so volatile.”  Visibly resisting the urge to snark back, instead closing his eyes and turning his thoughts inward. He remembered what the energy had felt like, moving through him as he had used it accidentally when running from Al, but trying to find that energy again was not easy. ‘Just focus on what it felt like,’ he repeated over and over and over again to himself. If he focused, he thought he could feel the latent energy, the force that allowed him to exert his will on the world. His eyebrows drew together and face twisted into a frown unconsciously as he grabbed at that energy, focused on being more aware of it. 

 

Then, suddenly, he was immersed in it. He had succeeded, and could feel it flowing through his veins, hovering in his soul. He reached out with it, eyes still closed, and could feel it flowing into the world around him. At his brother’s shout and Izumi’s approving “Yes, Ed!” he startled, his eyes popping open. Traces of blue energy crackled around a pile of dirt. 

“Brother, you created that! You did it! How?” Al exclaimed, jumping over to sit by his brother, his eyes shining with excitement. Ed grinned before giving the question thought, scratching the back of his head as he tried to describe what he had done. Al, of course, wasn’t satisfied with ‘I felt an energy and grabbed for it,’ but his brother just shrugged. 

“Can you do that again, Edward? Izumi asked. Ed nodded, once more focusing within himself, closing his eyes to block out the world. This time, it was a little bit easier to find that energy. He reached out once more, and this time did so with purpose, deciding a skull would be an appropriately cool thing to make. At Al’s sigh, he looked at the skull now sitting on the ground in front of them. 

“Aw, yeah!” He enthused, picking it up, and Izumi allowed herself a small grin. The week continued to pass quickly. On Friday night, Al managed to find that same energy within himself, and in seemingly the blink of an eye it was Sunday. 

The boys woke up at their usual time. The morning was deceptively benign and mundane for what they knew lay in wait. They got ready and made their way down to breakfast, moving with uneasy finality. Izumi and Sig greeted them normally, plating a hearty breakfast of eggs and ham and toast for the boys to dig into. Al was sure it tasted good, but was moving mechanically, going through the motions while lost in his thoughts. Both he and Ed were determined to remain Izumi’s students. When she lead them to the training room, the followed he quietly. She stood, her back  to them, before turning around and sinking into a ready stance. 

“Try to land a hit on me.” she instructed. The words rang through the room for a second before Ed and Al made eye contact. In their week of training, they hadn’t been able to beat her reaction time to even land a hit on her. But both boys knew they could not let that deter them. In synch they turned toward Izumi, and with their eyes blazing dashed to either side of her and darted forward. She made to move forward, and in a moment of clarity, Ed reached within himself and brought up a wall to stop her short, blue energy still crackling around it. She vaulted over it, but he darted around the wall and jumped at her. When she knocked his brother to the side, Al punched at her, jumping forward over her leg meant to sweep his feet out from under him. She sidestepped his punch, the momentum throwing him forward. But Ed had picked himself up, and darted at her from behind. He leapt at her just as she was beginning to turn around. 

His kick landed squarely on her upper arm. 

She easily took it, and in a real fight it would’ve been pretty insignificant, but for the first time they had managed to land a hit on her. She paused, before straightening up, looking down at them both approvingly. 

“Very good.” She told them, a fierce smile lighting her features. “You’ve both made good progress in your sparring and your abilities. You realized how to start integrating them into a fight, and how to work together against your opponent.” She paused for a second, before nodding firmly. “From this point on, you’re true students of mine.” The boys paused for a second, reveling in the words, before cheering loudly and high-fiving. Sig, watching from the doorway, smiled at the sight. The road of training ahead of them would not be easy, but he believed that they were capable. 

Later that night, as they lay in bed, he said quietly, “Those are some good students you’ve found yourself.” He didn’t have to look at her to tell she was smiling gently. “Yes, they are.”


End file.
